YOURMATARIKI

KETE

Learn about Matariki. How do you

find it in the sky and why is it important?

Includes a competition and pull-out

poster.2016

PRIM

AR

YED

ITIO

N

WHAT IS MATARIKI?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?Matariki is a cluster of seven stars in the constellation

Taurus. There are about a thousand stars in Matariki

but only seven can be seen with the naked eye.

For some iwi Matariki ‘resets’ the

Maori lunar calendar, Maramataka.

Calendars use the Moon to set the months

and the Sun to mark the seasons.

The cycle of the Moon around Earth (lunar cycle)

doesn’t fit evenly into the cycle of the Earth around

the Sun (solar cycle). Each year, the Moon cycle

is around 11 days shorter than the solar cycle,

meaning that after 12 months there is still about

11 days until the Earth returns to the same

position in its orbit around the Sun.

Stars can be used to reset the calendar because

they appear in the same place at the same time

every year. When you see Matariki rising in the

east at early dawn, you’ll know the Maramataka

has been reset and a new year begins again.

The Maori New Year is traditionally celebrated at

the first crescent Moon after the first appearance of

Matariki in the morning sky. This occurs between early

and late June and this year is on the 6th June.

Matariki is a cluster of seven

stars in the constellation

Taurus. There are about a

thousand stars in Matariki

but only seven can be

seen with the naked eye.

The Matariki festival starts at the first crescent

Moon after Matariki has risen

When Matariki reappears in the pre-dawn sky in early winter, for

some iwi it signals the start of the Māori New Year. Ngā mihi

o te Tau Hou!

MATARIKI FACTS

Because the star cluster can be seen all around the world, in different cultures it has lots

of different names, like:

The Pleiades Greece

The Seven Sisters Greece

Subaru Japan

The six wives of the six sages Tamil

Seven chickens Thailand

Matali’I Samoan

Astronomers call Matariki Messier45.

MĀORI NAMES OF PLANETS

NeptuneTangaroa

UranusWhērangi

SaturnRongo

JupiterPareārau

EarthPapatūānuku

MarsMatawhero

VenusKōpūMercury

Apārangi

• Milky Way Mangōroa• Orion Tautoru• Sun Tamanuiterā

PLUS

MATARIKIORION’S BELT

21

To find Matariki, look for

Orion’s belt – Tautoru

1

Follow a line through the three stars of Tautoru

towards north and you will see a small

cluster of stars. You’ve found

Matariki!

2

Matariki is visible most of the year except in late

autumn when it is too close to the Sun. In New

Zealand it rises in the northeast and sets in the

northwest, travelling across the northern sky in

between. This movement, as with all other stars,

is not caused by the stars themselves moving

but by the Earth turning, making it appear to

move across the sky. Matariki appears higher

and higher in the sky as the year goes on until it

sets again – keep looking for it using this method.

AUCKLAND NORTH-EASTERN DAWN SKY

16 JUNE 2016 / 6:30AM

MATARIKIHOW TO FIND

The se

ven bri

ghtest

stars

are also

called the

‘Seven

Sist

ers’.

The

y are

sist

ers be

cause

they

are

pos

ition

ed clos

e to

one

anothe

r and

were

form

ed fr

om th

e same

gas

and du

st clou

d!

STA

RD

OM

E.O

RG

.NZ

09

624

124

6

CLA

SSR

OO

MR

ESO

UR

CE

Matariki

is in

the cons

tellatio

n

of Ta

urus

.

IT C

ON

TAIN

S A

BO

UT

A T

HO

US

AN

D

STA

RS

, BU

T O

NLY

SO

ME

AR

E

VIS

IBLE

WIT

H T

HE

UN

AID

ED

EY

E.

Trad

itio

nally

, Māo

ri

bel

ieve

d t

hat

the

bri

ght

er

the

star

s w

ere,

the

war

mer

the

com

ing

sea

son

wo

uld

be

for

gro

win

g c

rop

s.

Astro

nome

rs es

timate

the clu

ster

will su

rvive

for a

bout

anothe

r 25

0 mi

llion ye

ars be

fore

all

the st

ars drift a

part.

MA

TAR

IKI C

AN

BE

SE

EN F

RO

M A

LMO

ST

EVER

Y S

ING

LE S

POT

O

N E

AR

TH, F

RO

M T

HE

N

OR

TH P

OLE

ALL

TH

E

WA

Y S

OU

TH T

O T

HE

SO

UTH

ERN

MO

ST T

IP

OF

SOU

TH A

MER

ICA

!

MATAR

IKI

TH

E C

LUS

TE

R IS

DO

MIN

AT

ED

BY

BLU

E S

TAR

S

WH

ICH

AR

E S

CO

RC

HIN

G. T

HE

Y A

RE

MU

CH

HO

TT

ER

TH

AN

OU

R S

UN

!

The

sta

rs in

M

atar

iki w

ere

form

ed a

roun

d

100

mill

ion

year

s ag

o –

that

’s

onl

y 1/

50th

th

e ag

e o

f

our

Sun

!

The se

ven bri

ghtest

stars

are also

called the

‘Seven

Sist

ers’.

The

y are

sist

ers be

cause

they

are

pos

ition

ed clos

e to

one

anothe

r and

were

form

ed fr

om th

e same

gas

and du

st clou

d!

STA

RD

OM

E.O

RG

.NZ

09

624

124

6

CLA

SSR

OO

MR

ESO

UR

CE

Matariki

is in

the cons

tellatio

n

of Ta

urus

.

IT C

ON

TAIN

S A

BO

UT

A T

HO

US

AN

D

STA

RS

, BU

T O

NLY

SO

ME

AR

E

VIS

IBLE

WIT

H T

HE

UN

AID

ED

EY

E.

Trad

itio

nally

, Māo

ri

bel

ieve

d t

hat

the

bri

ght

er

the

star

s w

ere,

the

war

mer

the

com

ing

sea

son

wo

uld

be

for

gro

win

g c

rop

s.

Astro

nome

rs es

timate

the clu

ster

will su

rvive

for a

bout

anothe

r 25

0 mi

llion ye

ars be

fore

all

the st

ars drift a

part.

MA

TAR

IKI C

AN

BE

SE

EN F

RO

M A

LMO

ST

EVER

Y S

ING

LE S

POT

O

N E

AR

TH, F

RO

M T

HE

N

OR

TH P

OLE

ALL

TH

E

WA

Y S

OU

TH T

O T

HE

SO

UTH

ERN

MO

ST T

IP

OF

SOU

TH A

MER

ICA

!

MATAR

IKI

TH

E C

LUS

TE

R IS

DO

MIN

AT

ED

BY

BLU

E S

TAR

S

WH

ICH

AR

E S

CO

RC

HIN

G. T

HE

Y A

RE

MU

CH

HO

TT

ER

TH

AN

OU

R S

UN

!

The

sta

rs in

M

atar

iki w

ere

form

ed a

roun

d

100

mill

ion

year

s ag

o –

that

’s

onl

y 1/

50th

th

e ag

e o

f

our

Sun

!

ACTIVITIES

WHAT YOU NEED:

• ¼ cup clear Elmer’s school glue

• ¼ cup cold water

• Glitter poster paint

• Glitter specks

• ¼ cup Tide detergent

(plus an extra ⅛ cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pour the Elmer’s school glue and

water into a bowl and mix together.

• Add several drops of poster paint

and as much glitter as you like to the

mixture and combine together.

• Slowly pour in the Tide detergent

and mix with a spoon. Add in

another 1/8 cup of Tide and begin

mixing and kneading with hands.

The mixture will become soapy and

sticky but continue to knead and

roll between hands. The soap and

bubbles will begin to disappear as

you continue to touch the slime.

• Set aside your coloured slime and

repeat as many times as you like

with varying colours of poster paint

and glitter.

• Roll out your multiple slimes and lie

flat on a surface. Braid the slimes

together, making a larger and

colourful slime mixture.

• Play, stretch and squeeze your new

galaxy slime!

GLITTER SLIME

PLAY, STRETCH AND SQUEEZE!

possible activities

LAST YEAR• maze

• crossword• word search

• baking

DOWN

1. The English name for the planet Pareārau is _____.

2. Matariki is visible most of the year except in late _____.

4. When Matariki reappears in the sky it signals the start of the Māori _____ _____.

5. Matariki rises in the _____.

7. In Thailand, Matariki is known as the Seven _____.

8. The Māori name for the planet Saturn is _____.

ACROSS

3. Matariki is part of the _____ constellation.

6. We can see _____ stars with the naked eye in the Matariki cluster.

9. The seven brightest stars are also called the seven _____.

10. The Māori New Year is traditionally celebrated in which month?

11. To find Matariki, look first for _____ _____.

12. Matariki festival starts at the first _____ Moon.

1 2

3

4 5

6 7

8

9

10

11

12

CROSSWORD

HOW MANY?Hunt and find the following items throughout this

booklet, how many can you find?

HOW MANY?HOW MANY?

HOW MANY?

AN

SW

ER

– H

OW

MA

NY

: PL

AN

ET

S 5

/ A

LIE

NS

6 /

RO

CK

ET

S 3

.

Terms and conditions: One entry per person. All contact details must be completed to be eligible for entry. All entries must be received before 5pm on 31st August 2016. Judges decision is final.

NAME:

ADDRESS:

PHONE: AGE:

EMAIL:

SCHOOL:

COLOURING IN COMPETITIONColour in the above image, cut it out and send to us to be in the draw to win an iPod Touch.

SEND YOUR ENTRY TO: Matariki colouring competition, Stardome, PO Box 24 180, Royal Oak, Auckland 1345STARDOME.ORG.NZ